Revolving advertising sign



0a. 8, 1935. T, R BUSEMAN 2,016,852

REVOLVING ADVERTI S I NG 5 IGN Filed se i. 17, 1954 a a o 3 Q 0 I o ZAomasJKBaSeman,

Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES 2,016,852 REVOLVING ADVERTISING SIGN Thomas R. Buseman, Madison Township, Butler County, Iowa Application September 17, 1934, Serial No. 744,339

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in advertising signs, and the object of my improvement is to supply a device of this character for use either out of doors, or for display purposes in windows or other places, and having rotatably disposed sign elements for maintaining parallel vertical positions respectively.

Another object of my improvements is to so mount and relate the sign elements to each other and to a common movable connector that the connector may function to keep these elements always supported in the same direction of exhibition of their surfaces, notwithstanding the rotation of the elements about a common axis.

Another object of my improvements is to rotate said sign elements when out of doors by wind power exerted upon rotatable vanes of the anemometer class, and whose vanes are jointed and resiliently controlled, whereby variable air currents act upon them with a .driving force proportionable to changed positions of the vanes due to more or less power exerted upon them by the winds.

Other objects will be more specifically adverted to in the following description and in the claims.

I have accomplished the above objects in the device which is hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of the device, with parts removed, in partial section or broken away. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the rotatable sign elements and the equalizing connector therefor taken upon the broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1 as mounted upon a supporting frame, the latter being shown in transverse section with the power supplying mechanism removed. Fig. 3 is a detail top plan of one of the resiliently controlled cupped wind vanes, hingedly jointed, and with the vane angularly disposed relative to its supporting arm as when actuated by a propelling air current for the rotation of the sign elements. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the sectional gear-casing.

It is to be understood also that various modifications in the details of construction and arrangement of parts of the apparatus and its connections may be made without departure from the principles and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

My device includes a hollow frame composed of spaced horizontal bars 2 and 3 connected at or near their ends by vertical bars 4 and 5. in spaced pairs fastened rigidly on opposite sides thereof. Ends of the bars 2 and 3 are fixedly secured to a supporting post I, but may be hingedly supported thereon without departing from my invention.

A horizontally disposed rotatable shaft 1 is positioned across the hollow of said frame medially, with its left-hand part seated in a bearing memher 8 on the frame and has an end crank 9. A .5 jointed manikin has its lower part I0 fixedly mounted on a projection 6 of the frame, and has the lower end of an upper part l2 hinged to the upper part of the member I0, while arm parts I l are hinged at one end to the upper portion of the 10 part l l and have their other extremities pivotally connected to the crank-pin of the crank 9, so that when the shaft 1 is rotated, the crank 9 in rotating rocks the manikin members II and i2 to and fro to seemingly rotate said shaft.

The opposite end part of the shaft 1 traverses opposite bearing seats as at 25 shown in Fig. 4, in a gear casing assembled from like hollow drumshape halves 2| having outer diametrical and cross flanges 22 mating with each other secured 20 by screws 24, and having between them a gasket 23 to prevent leakage. This gear casing is mounted removably between the frame bars 5. A relatively large bevel-gear 28 is mounted on said shaft within the casing 2|, in mesh with a 25 small bevel-pinion 29 in the upper part of the casing and which has a vertically disposed shaft 3| traversing a bearing 30 and projecting upwardly above the frame and carrying four cross arms 32. The casing 21 has near its top a nipple 30 26 with a removable screw cap 21 to permit partial filling of the casing with a liquid lubricant.

The cross arms 32 have each two sections hinged together on like sides at 34, and one or more coiled tension springs 35 are connected between the 35 sections tending to keep them in alinement, but resiliently controlled. Each outer section has a light metal cup or wind vane 36 fixed terminally thereon.

Referring to said Figs. 1 and 2, the numerals 40 I3 and [8 denote a pair of three-armed spiders secured on the shaft 1 between the vertical bars 4 and 5 of the frame. The spider l3 has apertured outer terminations traversed by a headed pin I4 as at It on the other spider IS, the latter having its arms alined with the arms of the spider [3. A rectangular sign element l5, preferably made of light strong metal plate, is positioned between each like set of arms l9 of said spiders and the said pins it are fastened rigidly to the plate, but the plate is hung swingably on these pins. Three plates I5 are shown, but any other plurality thereof may be used. Each pin l6 has a terminal crank [1. As shown in said Fig. 2, the numeral 20 denotes a connector element having 55 a central ring with three projecting arms I 9 equidistantly spaced and terminally apertured to receive the crank-pins of the cranks IT, with the ring part encircling the shaft 7, eccentrically.

The plates or signs [5 as shown in Fig. 2 are all held in a vertically disposed position by the use of the connector 20 while the shaft 1 is in rotation, the plates keeping that direction at all times because the cranks l! have relative rotation to the shaft 1 as the circling ring of the connector shifts eccentrically around the shaft. The connector thus keeps the plates vertical in any position around the shaft 1, as the plates in shifting up or down, display their sign-inscribed faces to a maximum extent for visual inspection.

The rotatably mounted cupped vanes 36 are rotated by air currents in one direction, but in the event that there is high wind pressure the hinged outer sections of the cross arms 32 separate at the hinges 34 swingably tensing the springs 35, so that the exposed area of each cupped vane is more or less lessened according to the effective pressure exerted thereon, preventing excessive speed of rotation of the vanes or damage to the rotating plates 15.

This device may be placed at or near highways or other places, and may be exhibited in Windows or other places, and operated by other means in rotating the shaft '1 in that case.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination, a rotatable shaft, plates supported thereon to be carried thereby loosely in spaced relation to the shaft and to each other, each plate having an end crank with crank-pin at one end, a connector device for the crank-pins apertured to seat the crank-pins therein loosely, and the connector having a central aperture traversed eccentrically by said shaft loosely, whereby when the shaft is rotated the plates are maintained 5 in constant parallel relations to each other.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a rotatable shaft, means for rotating said shaft, plates supported thereon to be carried thereby loosely in spaced relation to the shaft and to each other, each plate having any end crank with crank-pin at one end, a connector device for the crank-pins apertured to seat thei crank-pins therein loosely, and the connector? having a central aperture traversed eccentrically by said shaft loosely, whereby when the shaft is rotated the plates are maintained in constant parallel relations to each other.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a rotatable shaft having an end crank with crank-pin, a member rigidly supported adjacent to said crank pin, another member rockably connected to the first member, and a third member pivotally connected between the second member and said crank-pin, plates supported on said shaft to be carried thereby loosely in spaced relation to the shaft and to each other, each plate having an end crank with crank-pin at one end, a connector device for the crank-pins apertured to seat the crank-pins therein loosely, and the connector having a central aperture traversed eccentrically by said shaft loosely, whereby when the shaft is rotated the plates are maintained in constant parallel relations to each other THOMAS R. BUSEMAN. 

